Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, the Minister-Designate for Trade, Agribusiness, and Industry, has shared an ambitious vision for Ghana’s trade and industrial sector, focusing on leveraging international trade agreements to boost exports.
During her vetting before Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Wednesday, January 22, she highlighted the critical role of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in achieving the government’s goal of expanding export markets and creating sustainable job opportunities for Ghana’s youth.
Mrs. Ofosu-Adjare emphasized the transformative potential of AfCFTA, noting that it offers Ghana a unique opportunity to tap into larger markets across Africa. With Ghana hosting the AfCFTA Secretariat in Accra, she stressed that the agreement provides a strategic platform for the country to establish itself as a key exporter of goods and services within the continent.
The Minister-Designate revealed plans to work closely with AfCFTA’s structures and other international trade bodies to ensure that Ghanaian products meet global standards, enabling them to compete favourably on the international market.
This approach, she said, would be a crucial step in reducing Ghana’s trade deficit and increasing foreign exchange earnings.
“Once we produce more, the whole idea is to export and fortunately for us, there are trade agreements and we are going to leverage on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and other trade agreements to promote our exports to make sure that we have the market for the products that we produce.
“The whole idea of providing jobs for our teaming youth is through the 24-hour economy and so as we produce, we are looking for markets, leveraging on the trade agreements that we have to ensure that our products are exported.”
